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Grandma Scam

DATE & TIME: 09-01-2020 / 11:00 am

LOCATION: Beatrice, Nebraska

OFFENSE: Grandma Scam      

CASE #: 2020-4005

A Beatrice resident notified a Gage County Sheriff’s Office investigator her mother had nearly lost money to a charlatan who attempted to prey on her emotions using a con known as the “Grandma Scam”.  In a crime of this type, a mountebank calls an elderly person and when the victim answers, they suspect says, “Grandma” (or Grandpa) and the victim replies with the name of their grandchild they think is calling and the suspect proceeds to act as if they are that grandchild.

The suspect then proceeds to tell a tale of woe about being arrested and needing money to bail out of jail.  Inevitably, the grandparent is told to not tell the parent and they need the money as soon as possible.  Another character is introduced to the scam, either a sympathetic law enforcement officer or a lawyer, who is in essence a pettifogger who can resolve the legal problem for a fee of some kind.

The victim in this case did not lose any money because she was able to break off the phone conversation and call her child, the mother of the “grandson”, and found out he was not in Florida, as the suspect had claimed.

The Gage County Sheriff’s Office urges residents to be cautious and wary of scams.  Do not succumb to demands for secrecy or urgency.  Call a family member, close friend, or trusted financial advisor such as your banker or accountant, to obtain verification of the legitimacy of a claim. 
If you believe you are being scammed, contact your local police department at 402-223-4080 or call the Gage County Sheriff’s Office and ask to speak with an investigator.

Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson #903

Investigator T. Hanson #90310